


Ye Olde Tradition

by BlueRoboKitty



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Christmas Party, F/M, First Kiss, Flustered Nadia, Holidays, Love Confessions, Mistletoe, Pining, Tooth-Rotting Fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-24
Updated: 2018-12-24
Packaged: 2019-09-26 07:40:16
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,034
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17137730
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BlueRoboKitty/pseuds/BlueRoboKitty
Summary: Humans are an affectionate species, and it’s an old time tradition to kiss under the mistletoe. So when Rizavi and Griffin end up under the mistletoe together, they gotta play by the rules. No biggie. A kiss is just a kiss, and Griffin is just, well, Griffin.Except when it’s more complicated than that.





	Ye Olde Tradition

**Author's Note:**

> A Grizavi fic by yours truly that ISN’T porn? Say it can’t be so. ;)

_Mistletoe hung where you can see every couple who tries to stop._

This was the first actual real Holiday party the Garrison held in what felt like a long, long time considering the past couple of festive seasons had felt anything but festive. Hard to celebrate the metaphorical birth of some deity or celestial body (depending on how you look at it) when aliens threatened to destroy your home with no way of knowing if your enslaved loved ones were gonna make it out alive. That first December that came by during the Galran occupation, everyone tried to put on a brave face, decorating the ballrooms of the Officers’ Club where most functions were held, singing half-hearted carols, even managed to find a tree from an abandoned tree farm. The one after that, nobody even bothered.

It was a bit jarring seeing all the lights and trees and sparkling ornaments and twinkling stars of tinsel adorning the chromatic halls of the Garrison base. The weather guy said there might even be snow. Snow was not unheard of in the desert, it just didn’t stick around like the holiday cards would have you believe. That would be nice, actually. It was certainly cold enough for it.

Everyone dressed up for the Garrison holiday party, the biggest one they’ve ever had. Mostly to impress all the friendly aliens from the Voltron Coalition who have since settled here at their new base of operations and knew nothing of Earth’s unique cultures. And turned out that many of these aliens did come from cultures that celebrated certain times of the year when the warmth would return to their worlds, that celebrated the concepts of gift-giving and good will toward all.

But none of them had the tradition of the mistletoe. And mistletoe hung _everywhere._ Where _everyone_ could see. It was quite the surprise for the aliens to learn how _affectionate_ Earthlings could be, and not just with each other! So many mouth kisses and cheek kisses and forehead kisses. Sometimes just hugs sufficed. A fun, harmless, no big deal, affectionate holiday tradition.

So why was Nadia’s heart racing all the way up to her throat?

She stood in the doorway, the main entrance into the ballroom, again where everyone could see, a huge bundle of mistletoe wrapped in red ribbon hanging above her head and Griffin standing next to her.

The ballroom thrummed with Christmas carols and eggnog influenced conversation, yet she could hear her friends from the maintenance squadron clear as day.

“Get it, Riz!”

“Is that Lieutenant Griffin?”

“Get! It! GURL!”

“Told you Rizavi had a thing for him, pay up.”

 _I don’t have a_ thing _for **Griffin** of all people!_ Nadia scowled mentally. James Griffin was hot, sure, and a good leader. She respected him that much.

But he was so... so... _rigid._ Uptight. So obsessed with following the rules and being the perfect Airman. The only time he was fun, like actually enjoyable to be around, was when they were in the air. During drills, and he would actually like smile and stuff. Not that she could see it, but she could hear it in his voice. Rushed with a slight pitch of adrenaline and a hint of laughter. Like flying was the only thing that let him be an actual person.

Her cheeks burned. She could feel the heat radiating from them all the way to her ears.

Nadia glanced at him from the corner of her eye.

“So...” he was the first to speak up, hands behind his back, appearing casual except for the slight reddening of his ears. “How do you wanna do this?”

She tossed her ponytail over her shoulder with a laugh, and she had absolutely no idea what that movement alone did to him. Because there was no way she was about to let anyone see how nervous she suddenly was. “Well, obviously, we gotta give the crowd what they want,” she replied, gesturing with her chin to the maintenance crew. Even the other MFEs had joined the group; Leif munched on roasted almonds while Ryan filmed the two of them standing awkwardly beneath the mistletoe with the camera he never let go of when they were on the ground.

“Rules are rules, y’know,” Nadia added, poking his shoulder. “Stand beneath the mistletoe, you gotta kiss.”

There was no mistaking the soft pink of Griffin’s cheeks. Okay. That. C-cute.

So naturally that meant she had to poke the bear even harder. She giggled, to tease him and not at all to cover her own hesitation. “What’s wrong, Griffin, you’ve never kissed a pretty girl before?”

Because no matter what the situation, it was like her life’s calling to egg him on. And the payoff, as always, was utterly worth it. He frowned at her, eyes so gray that they were closer to purple, flashing like an oncoming storm. Oh this, this was too good. There was no way she could just stop pushing his buttons now. She stepped closer to him, hands sliding up his arms.

_It’s just Griffin. It’s just Griffin._

That thought echoed over and over to the rhythm of her racing heart.

She wasn’t in the habit of wearing makeup; she did too many sweaty activities to really bother with the stuff most of the time. But she could apply winged eyeliner sharp enough to destroy a man, because eyeliner was fun and could withstand terminal velocity. She was glad she went with that decision tonight of all nights. And her favorite cherry-chocolate lipgloss made her dark lips so pouty and shiny. Tasted like chocolate covered cherries, too.

It was so much fun to confuse the boys when she let her more feminine side run wild. They never see it coming.

Griffin’s cheeks were definitely pinker.

His hands on her waist slid down ever so slightly to rest on her hips.

Did he pull her closer to him or did she do that herself?

It’s.

Just.

Griffin.

“I’ll have you know,” he chastised in a voice that sounded rather huskier than usual, “I have kissed plenty of people.”

“Sure.” Poke, poke. 

“I have!” He tilted his head, a grin pulling at the corners of his mouth. “What about you, Rizavi?”

Oh, shoot, he wasn’t supposed to turn the tables like that. “I have,” she replied, and that wasn’t a lie. But it had been a while. The kisses in her life, from the awkward, wet first kiss with Frankie when she was fifteen, and what she considered to be her first real, movie moment kiss with Lisa at seventeen when they both ditched their homecoming dates, and then making out with Steven in a closet while drunk just before the Galra invaded... yeah, her kisses were few and far between. Though she can’t imagine Griffin had any more luck than she had, being handsome and popular didn’t do much for your love life if you never got personal with others.

He _smirked_ at her.

OOOOOOOHHHHHH.

Nadia fisted the collar of his preppy cashmere sweater and yanked his mouth to hers. She was sure she heard excited yelling from the Peanut Gallery fifty feet away but she didn’t care. She’ll show him. She’ll kiss that smirk right off his pretty face.

God, his lips were so soft. Like a girl’s. Which made since now that she thought about it, considering he applied chapstick to his mouth religiously, especially during these drier winter months. He tasted like honey. The warm, spicy fragrance of his cologne filled her head, his body strong and solid against her palms that released his collar to spread over his shoulders. She just... couldn’t help but chase the pleasant thrum tingling along her nerves.

It’s just Griffin.

She raised herself on her toes, letting her breasts round and soft under her fuzzy sweater brush up his torso. His breath hitched in his throat, and his grip on her tightened.

Just Griffin, whose arms felt good around her. Just Griffin, who angled his head until their lips slotted perfectly.

His tongue flicked over her lower lip. She shivered. Drat, she was supposed to be the one in charge here, showing him how kissing worked. Yet he was coaxing her mouth open so, so easily, softly begging her to let him in. How could she deny him that when he asked so sweetly? Her grip on his sweater tightened, digging into the fabric. She was so lightheaded, like she would float away, and he was the only thing in existence keeping her grounded.

More. Just... just a little more.

Her tongue slid along his, warm and wet, chasing his taste and the taste of her sweet chocolately lipgloss smeared over his mouth. She moaned, unable to stop herself, and the sound hummed throughout inside him. He dipped his head to nip her bottom lip with the slightest pressure of his teeth, and she opened her mouth to invite him back in, to keep this feeling going.

Griffin licked her playfully. Then pulled away. She almost — _almost_ — whined.

She expected him to be smug about the whole thing. Maybe lecture her about how they’re not supposed to be making out under the mistletoe where everyone can see them.

No, instead, he just gave her this... this _look._

“I like you, Nadia.”

His words came out in a single breath. Voice rushed with a slight pitch of adrenaline. Only there was no hint of laughter. He wasn’t making fun of her. He wasn’t trying to goad her into something. He was serious. Like serious even for _him._

He even called her by her first name.

Nadia took a step back, hands letting him go and falling to her sides.

Her lack of an immediate answer didn’t make it any better. “Shit,” Griffin said, raking his hand through his hair, not looking at her. “I’m sorry. That... that was inappropriate.”

They just snogged face, but him confessing was the inappropriate thing that just happened? Wait, focus, Griffin liked her? Like, _liked her_ liked her? How?? **WHY???**

She shook her head. “Hang on, wait, back up, you like me?”

“Forget it, it’s fine.” He started walking away, down the stairs into the ballroom, in the opposite direction from their suddenly very quiet and concerned audience.

“Wh-what!?” she choked. “Wait, hang on, you can’t just throw something like that out there and expect me to just forget it! James, wait!”

They were attracting more onlookers now. Ugh, few things in this world were nosier and more invasive than military gossip, hardened veterans during the duty day, twittering old ladies at every public function. Just look at the Peanut Gallery, not even making an attempt to be descreet about their rubbernecking, standing there with cheeks pressed tightly together as they strained to take in absolutely everything unfolding before them. Ugh. And she _worked_ with these people!

Nadia managed to grab Griffin’s hand before he could get too far. She tugged him to the dance floor where other couples were gathering as gentle, romantic notes flowed from the speakers.

“Rizavi — “

“We gotta salvage this before we become the Garrison’s latest hot column. Dance with me.”

“Oh. O-okay.”

His hands went back to her waist, much less confident than they had been beneath the mistletoe. They shook a little. Or was she shaking?

Never had anyone confess to her before. This was brand new territory for poor Nadia. If they danced for a moment, it would at least look less dramatic. Give her time to come to grips with his confession.

Except it was difficult to concentrate with Griffin still so close to her. Confusing. Before tonight, she never would’ve discovered that she liked kissing him, actually. She liked being close to him. It felt nice to be held by him. Like, really nice.

 _But it’s **GRIFFIN!** He’s not your type!_ Her sensible side screamed. _He’s rigid, remember?? Mr. Perfection! Boring!_

She snorted internally. Okay, that was a bit unfair. He wasn’t _totally_ boring. It was fun riling him up, like stealing his fries at lunch during hamburger day. Or putting post-it notes that read “Kick Me” on his back. Watching the slow dawn of horror come over his face as she casually told him about sneaking cameras into classified briefings. Beating up each other with cutesy cartoon characters in fighting video games. Racing on treadmills. Racing through the sky.

Slow dancing to some guy crooning about finding his first love on Christmas Eve, the two of them swaying nervously and cautiously back and forth like they were back in middle school, holding each other delicately like the other would break away like a fragile dream. Like neither of them had any idea what to do with this new plot twist to their usual dynamic.

Griffin wasn’t Nadia’s first love by any means.

But this was definitely the first time she felt this _intense_ over whether or not she had feelings for someone.

“I’m sorry,” Griffin said again. For once, he didn’t look stoic or rigid. He looked embarrassed. Vulnerable. It was kinda nice seeing him like this. Few people definitely did.

“No, it’s okay. It’s really okay,” she replied, face warming. “You just... really caught me off guard, is all.”

“It wasn’t my intention to confess to you so bluntly.”

She raised an eyebrow. “You? Not be blunt?”

He chuckled. It warmed her belly. “You’re right.”

“I’m sorry? I’m what now?”

He rolled his eyes and gently poked her forehead. “Don’t let it get to your head.”

“Oh, you know I’m gonna lord this over you for the next month, _at least,”_ she quipped back with a mischievous grin. “I’m sure Ryan has this all immortalized on film.”

He groaned. “I wouldn’t expect any less. Wait, can they even hear us?”

“Have you not messed with his camera? It’s _amazing,_ and picks up _everything._ I love it!”

Griffin sighed, deeply, shoulders rising and falling with the weight of his embarrassment, and his eyes closed briefly. “Greeeeat.”

Somehow, during that whole exchange, she had pushed herself closer to him. Or let him pull her closer. Just like beneath the mistletoe, and once again it was hard to say who had actually been the one to move here. If Griffin kissed her again, she wouldn’t object at all.

Maybe for right now, that’s all she needed to feel. Maybe... it didn’t have to be that complicated. Not yet.

She ducked her head before she could give into the temptation of kissing him again, suddenly so shy, still so unsure how she was supposed to act around him now.

The music ended, but the two of them remained on the floor, arms around each other. “We... we should get back before the others think we’re gonna get married or something,” Nadia muttered.

“Yeah,” Griffin agreed, voice so soft. “They’re not ever gonna let us live this down.”

Neither of them moved, except for their arms that had lowered to clasp their hands together between their bodies.

Ah, shit, what was the old saying? The lady protests a lot or something? Okay, Nadia kinda liked him, she did. She really did. He was nice. And he could be fun if you pushed his buttons the right way. But a guy like Griffin liking her, loud and silly Rizavi? She never even dared to consider that a possibility. The rule-abiding Golden Boy being attracted to the rebellious girl with a C-average in everything but flying and mechanics sounded far too cliché for real life comfort.

“So, um, there’s like this Puigian cafe that opened up in the mall last week,” Nadia said, blushing furiously, unable to look at him. “Ina and I went. The Puigians make amazing mochas. They take Garrison notes as payment. Napkins, too, for some reason, they can’t seem to get enough napkins.”

She shifted her weight a bit.

“Sooooo, yeah, after the holiday, we can, y’know, go get some since it’s our week off,” she added hopefully.

She squeezed his hand, and he squeezed back. Her thumb brushed over his knuckles. The moisturizer he used was amazing. She knew, because she stole it from him often.

“And we...”

She took a deep breath, made herself look into his eyes. They were bright with hope and surprise.

“And we can see where this goes?”

Despite his confession, she still fully expected him to turn her down. They would be deploying for space in a few months or so. Just around the corner. They would need to spend that time focusing on the larger mission of saving the universe. She could hear Griffin’s entire lecture about it in her head already. That’s how he was.

And she still wasn’t convinced his confession wasn’t something he just said in the heat of the moment, after snogging face and all.

“Yeah.”

Nadia blinked at him. What?

“Yeah,” Griffin repeated as if reading her mind, giving her such a gentle, pleased smile. “That would be great. I-I like coffee and cafes and things like that.”

Oh, GOD, he was being so cute right now, and Nadia needed to walk away from this before she did something stupid to ruin the moment. So she did, but with her hand still in Griffin’s palm.

“It appears Rizavi and Griffin are, in fact, an item,” Leif remarked as the Peanut Gallery standing around her broke into applause and cheers and whistles.

“About time,” Ryan remarked, looking gleefully at his camera which now contained so, so much blackmail footage.

Nadia and Griffin exchanged embarrassed looks, glanced down at their clasped hands, and back to each other. “Weeeellllll,” Nadia drawled out, unable to resist teasing Griffin with him being so blushy and adorable right now, “maaaaybe. He has to buy me coffee first. Then I might consider it.”

“I better start collecting enough napkins then,” he replied. His smile was so playful. Boyish. Nadia liked this side of him. She really, really did.

As the night wore on the party got livelier, sometimes Nadia found herself back beneath the mistletoe. And Griffin would always be there with a kiss for her. For tonight, at least. Nadia liked his kisses. And she liked coffee.

It didn’t need to be any more complicated than that. 


End file.
